Brazil fail again in their quest to end their World Cup drought
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Brazil’s hopes of ending a 20-year wait for a World Cup title faded in a 4-2 loss to Croatia in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals.
Neymar scored in extra time to equal Pele’s tally of 77 goals and give Brazil the lead, but Croatia equalized through Bruno Petkovic in the 117th minute to win the shootout after Rodrygo and Marquinhos missed penalties for Brazil .
Neymar was unable to take the penalty after Brazilian manager Tite’s controversial decision to leave him for the end.
EXPECTATION VS. PERFORMANCE
Brazil arrived as one of the favorites for the title, but there were concerns about what they could do after Neymar was injured in the first game and his participation in the tournament was in doubt.
Brazil were still able to comfortably advance to the group stage despite a 1-0 loss to Cameroon with their reserve team, a result that ended the Selecao’s 17-match unbeaten run in group matches and questioned the overall quality of the team. It was also the first time that Brazil lost to an African nation in a World Cup.
It didn’t help that Brazil were marred by injuries. In addition to Neymar, Tite lost Danilo after the first game, and Alex Sandro after the second game against Switzerland. Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus were injured in the game against Cameroon and had to be removed from the squad.
But Brazil moved back into the title favorites conversation as both Neymar and Danilo recovered and Brazil defeated South Korea 4-1 in the round of 16. Neymar scored one of the goals that put Brazil in the quarter-finals for the eighth time in a row. The team celebrated their goals by dancing, and even manager Tite got involved, attracting some criticism from outside.
Expectations were high going forward, and against Croatia the five-time champions were minutes away from returning to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2014. But the defense allowed a late break that led to Petkovic’s goal with a shot that deviated outside defender Marquinhos.
Thus, Brazil was left out of the World Cup again.
“It seems like a nightmare. It’s hard to believe that this is happening,” said Neymar, who had to be comforted by his teammates because he couldn’t stop crying after the game.
Tite was criticized for choosing Neymar to take the fifth penalty, which ultimately never happened. He was also questioned for failing to keep the team organized defensively after taking the lead and before conceding the late breakaway that led to Croatia’s equaliser. There were also questionable substitutions, with many unhappy with his decision not to stick with his players and instead head to the dressing room immediately after the shootout loss.
WHO’S OUT?
In reality, Tite will not have to answer for anything, as he quit the national team as planned, saying that his time with Brazil was over. He had already announced his decision before the World Cup and did not change his mind.
“It’s the end of a cycle,” Tite said. “The loss hurts, but now I’m at peace with myself.”
It is not known whether Neymar, 30, would return to Brazil as he said it was not the time to discuss his future so soon after the defeat to Croatia.
More certain to say goodbye to the Selecao were the veterans Thiago Silva and Dani Alves. Alves, 39, became Brazil’s oldest player at a World Cup, overtaking 38-year-old Silva.
Nine Brazilian players in Qatar were aged 30 or over, including Casemiro, Danilo and Alisson.
WHO’S NEXT?
Brazil had yet to announce a replacement for Tite and the Brazilian soccer confederation said it would only begin discussions about a new coach in January. Rumors were that Brazil could look to hire a foreign coach to lead their national team, with Portugal’s Jorge Jesús among the frontrunners.
The new coach will have talented youngsters at his disposal, including Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Gabriel Martinelli and Antony.
“We have to keep our heads up and try to move on,” Casemiro, 30, said.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Brazil have no matches scheduled so far, but their focus will quickly turn to the 2026 World Cup, with the South American qualifiers expected to begin in March 2023.
Brazil has played in every World Cup, and qualifying for 2026 shouldn’t be a problem, especially since the region now wins six straight spots plus a playoff spot.
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Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup i https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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